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–+ servings
overhead view of creamy vegetable soup in white bowl
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5 from 5 votes

Instant Pot Creamy Vegetable Soup

This Instant Pot Creamy Vegetable Soup is packed with plenty of vegetables and potatoes, cooked in a seasoned creamy base, and finished off with cheese!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time17 minutes
Total Time37 minutes
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot soup
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 562kcal
Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

  • 3 slices bacon sliced lengthwise, then diced
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1 stalk celery diced
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 cups small broccoli florets
  • 1 - 2 russet potatoes peeled and diced into small pieces (you want about 3 cups of diced potatoes)
  • 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth divided
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 8 oz can whole kernel corn drained

Garnishes

  • finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • cooked bacon
  • minced fresh chives or scallions
  • sprinkle of black pepper

Instructions

Saute

  • Turn on Instant Pot and select “saute”.  Once hot, add diced bacon.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crispy.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon, reserving the bacon grease in the pot.
  • Add onion, celery and carrot and saute until onion is soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Deglaze

  • Season with salt, pepper, and paprika and stir to combine.  Add about 1 cup of the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to make sure no browned bits are stuck on there.

Pressure cook

  • Add broccoli florets and diced potatoes, then add remaining chicken broth.  Give a gentle stir.
  • Press “cancel” to cancel the saute mode.
  • Secure Instant Pot lid, and make sure the valve is set to “sealing”.  Press “pressure cook” or “manual” mode, and adjust the time so the display reads 7 minutes.

Pressure release

  • Once cooking time has elapsed, don’t touch the Instant Pot and let the pressure release naturally for 5-10 minutes (this is a natural pressure release).  After that amount of time, release any remaining pressure by moving the valve to "venting".

Thicken

  • In a small mixing bowl, add heavy cream and cornstarch.  Whisk or stir together until smooth.
  • Select “saute”, and pour the cream and cornstarch mixture into the soup.  Add corn and stir well to combine everything.
  • Let soup simmer a few minutes, until thickened to your liking.
  • Taste and add more seasonings if needed.

Serve

  • Serve hot, garnished with the crispy bacon from the beginning, a sprinkle of finely shredded cheddar cheese, a sprinkle of fresh minced chives, and a dash of black pepper.

Notes

  1. Cooking time doesn't include the time the Instant Pot takes to come up to pressure, since this will vary from person to person. For reference, my pot usually takes about 15 minutes.

Stovetop Directions:

  1. Heat a large dutch oven (or whatever you like to cook soup in), over MED LOW heat.
  2. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate, reserving the grease.
  3. Add onion, celery, and carrots, and increase heat to MED. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, until soft and translucent.
  4. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
  5. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme.
  6. Pour in about a cup of the chicken broth, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits.
  7. Add broccoli and potatoes, then pour in the remaining 3 cups of chicken broth. 
  8. Stir, and increase heat to MED HIGH. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to MED LOW and simmer (uncovered) for about 12-15 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are fork tender.
  9. In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and cornstarch until smooth. Add mixture to the pot, add the drained corn, and stir well.
  10. Simmer for several minutes, stirring often, until soup is thickened to your liking.
  11. Taste and add more seasonings if you'd like.
  12. Garnish and serve.

Slow Cooker Directions:

  1. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, broccoli, russet potatoes, and chicken broth (no need to divide, add the full 4 cups) to the insert of a slow cooker.
  2. Stir well, then cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (this hasn't been tested cooked on high), until potatoes and carrots are fork tender.
  3. Switch the slow cooker heat to HIGH at this point.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and cornstarch until smooth. Add mixture to the slow cooker, and add the drained corn.
  5. Stir well and cook on HIGH, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the soup is thickened to your liking.
  6. Taste and add more seasonings if you'd like.
  7. Garnish and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 562kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 948mg | Potassium: 1578mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6826IU | Vitamin C: 121mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 3mg